Music On The Couch: My Week As A Tortured Soul Day 8

Thursday, July 24, 2014

My Week As A Tortured Soul Day 8 - Houston Daytime

We woke and drove into the city to the Texas Children's Cancer & Hematology Center to do a show for the patients, their families and staff...whoever was in the waiting area of the Clinical Care Center.

All I can say is my eyes were most most of the time - with joy - watching the kids and adults taking some time away from their issues to enjoy.

I was sitting next to a small boy (maybe 2-3) whose sibling was the patient. And I was clapping to the music and looked over and this little by was smiling and began to clap... MY HEART MELTED!

Tas, Dick Earl and Joe Goehle were fantastic...they had the staff help out on a few songs and then at then end, they took pictures with those children who wanted ... I could not photograph anyone other than the band (even the backs of their heads) until the end as it would have meant getting consent forms from everyone in the room.

We were told 91 people viewed the performance in whole or part and that was the largest group they had had all summer (and there are 2-3 performances a month by different artists (song, dance, etc).

When they finished they went to the Purple Songs Can Fly Studio where they have been recording songs with the patients as far back as 2006. PLEASE also go check out Purple Songs Can Fly on Facebook!

We had met Anita Kruse, the woman who works with the kids, earlier when she played us a song from a young man who recorded it at age 12...tears DID flow from all of us as we listened and then she told us, he is a long-term survivor...he had just sung the song with the Houston Symphony and he was in the Police Academy to become an officer!

I asked Alice if she would come on Music On The Couch and ask this young man if he would join us and I will let you know when it is going to happen!

At the end of the performance in the lobby, Tas, Dick and Joe went into the studio and recorded a song for Anita and then they laid down some blues music to be used as backing music if any of the kids want to record a blues song...so there music will live on.

These songs DO fly.. some recordings went on the Space Shuttle. Some went to Europe with the Rolling Stones back in 2006 and in each city, they autographed one of the CDs...these hang on the walls and is is so inspiring.

Some pictures from out visit...